boomerang

as in to backfire
to have the reverse of the desired or expected effect the well-meaning gesture boomeranged, since he ended up being offended by it

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for boomerang
Verb
  • The changes backfired and customers left for local coffee shops and other chains and brewed more coffee at home.
    Maya Blackstone, CNN Money, 27 June 2025
  • Trump's goal to reduce trade deficits while expanding markets for U.S. exports has backfired.
    Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • When stress hit, the house of cards collapsed, and failures cascaded like dominoes, wiping out billions in customer funds.
    Roomy Khan, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
  • That’s how a building managed to go without a critical earthquake retrofit for more than a century before its brick walls collapsed in 2003.
    Rong-Gong Lin II, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2025
Verb
  • Some species will flop over when grown in rich soils.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 3 July 2025
  • Staking helps protect tall or large-flowered dahlias from breakage and flopping over, especially after rain or strong wind.
    Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 July 2025
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Cite this Entry

“Boomerang.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boomerang. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.

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